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<\/a><\/div>\n\nContinuing the Gastronomista Campari America Spirited Connections Interview series<\/a><\/b>, this month is a conversation about mentorship with one of the best in the business, James Beard Award nominee and Spirited Award recipient, Jeffrey Morgenthaler.\u00a0 He is someone who has been a personal mentor to me from afar <\/i>(unbeknownst to him!), <\/span>and I’m sure he has been for others.\u00a0 But the luckiest ones are those who learn from him while “in the trenches”, the up-and-coming bartenders lucky enough to be mentored by him every day.\u00a0 Envy is an understatement.<\/i> Somewhere in the early years, I discovered Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s website<\/a><\/b>.\u00a0 I learned how to make ginger beer, I made my own oleo saccharum for various punches, I made countless Amaretto Sours to his specs, and started my own pocket recipe book<\/a> (mine however, is red).\u00a0 Later, when Morgenthaler released The Bar Book<\/b>, I raced through the pages, picking up practical tips that most bartenders learn on the job, but I, an island onto myself, learned through written word. <\/p>\n \nI have always appreciated Morgenthaler’s no-nonesense mentality towards simplicity, staying true to the cannons of cocktails, and always being in pursuit of doing things better.\u00a0 He approaches bartending and bar management with a particular rigor that is uncannily familiar to me – after all – he too studied architecture. <\/p>\n Morgenthaler has mentored countless people in the industry, at his own bar and in the community at large.\u00a0 It’s fair to say that through his books and his website, he feels like a mentor to me as well, a feeling that I’m sure so many bartenders and writers can relate to.\u00a0 So needless to say, it was a tremendous honor to spend a few hours with him at his bar in Portland (yes, I might have fanned out a little bit).\u00a0 This was not the first time I met Morgenthaler, and I hope not the last.\u00a0 He is warm, welcoming, and incredibly funny – a consummate host.\u00a0 His laugh is loud and dominates the room, as does he.\u00a0 And as for his Old Fashioned<\/a>, it is perfect.\u00a0 Don’t even bother arguing. \nWithout further ado, Jeffrey Morgenthaler: Speaking of mentorship, I would love to discuss how mentorship has impacted your career, both as someone learning a craft and as someone passing along your knowledge.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Morgenthaler:<\/b> Aw, thank you. Sharing what I\u2019ve learned has always been the most important thing to me as a bartender, and it always makes me so happy when I hear that my knowledge has helped someone else. It\u2019s nice when someone “gets it”. So many people think that sharing my knowledge is just me trying to \u201cpromote my brand\u201d, whatever the hell that means, and it\u2019s like, hey, I\u2019m genuinely just trying to help.<\/b><\/p>\n Gastronomista:<\/b> Why did you start your website, and how has it changed your opinions on giving back to a community and teaching others?<\/p>\n Morgenthaler:<\/b> I originally started it because I wanted to learn how to install the blog software on my web server. I was just messing around. And then I started sharing recipes from the bar on there, just for our regulars who came in and might want to make the drinks at home. I realized that people all over the world were coming to the site looking for cocktail information, and it just kind of grew from there.<\/b><\/p>\n Gastronomista: <\/b>Why do you think it is so important to pass along your learnings behind the bar?\u00a0 \nGastronomista: <\/b>Do you have any particularly gratifying memories of your mentors, and those who have been lucky enough to study under you?\u00a0 What has been the greatest takeaway?<\/p>\n Morgenthaler:<\/b> I was trained at my first bar by a woman named Nancy Bertini<\/b>. Nancy was a lifer, I think she\u2019d been at The Tiny Tavern <\/b>for twenty years when I got there. She was matronly, kind, fast, and very firm with the sometimes rough clientele. She worked happy hour, and I was the closer. So we saw each other probably four or five times a week for four years. I learned a lot about being organized and managing a busy room from her.<\/p>\n Later on, I worked for Stephanie Pearl-Kimmel at March\u00e9<\/b>, and she was one of the early followers of Alice Waters. I learned a lot about culinary technique, consistency, and service in her restaurants. I could still spend hours sitting at the chef\u2019s counter and watching the line cooks work. It\u2019s always been mesmerizing to me.<\/b> <\/p>\n \u00a0 Gastronomista: <\/b>In my opinion, The Bar Book<\/i><\/b><\/a> is one of the most important reads for people learning about the cocktail industry \u2013 it covers essential techniques, tools, and tricks of the trade. \u00a0 What makes your second book, Drinking Distilled<\/i><\/b><\/a>, (congratulations!) \u2013 different, and how do you hope that it will be received by cocktail enthusiasts?<\/p>\n Morgenthaler:<\/b>\u00a0 Thanks! I\u2019m hoping to reach more than just cocktail enthusiasts with this one. It\u2019s geared toward people who simply enjoy a cocktail, people who enjoy a bar, or enjoy hosting a party at home. <\/b>Cocktails are such a small part of what makes up the bar and entertaining world, and I have lots more to say about those other things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n
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\nMany, many moons ago, I started this website and stumbled into the cocktail world.\u00a0 In a rather unexpected career twist, I found myself with an insatiable curiosity to learn more about the cocktail industry: the people, the products, and how to do it myself.\u00a0 I took some pretty bad photographs, I made some really disgusting drinks, but I started meeting some amazing people.\u00a0 I also started scouring the internet for more information, desperate for more guidance about exactly what this world was all about. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
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\nGastronomista: <\/b>Jeff, it is a huge honor to host you in my Spirited Connections Interview series with Campari America.\u00a0 Your blog has been such a huge source of inspiration for me, and an invaluable resource during my cocktail self-education.\u00a0 It\u2019s fair to say that you have been a mentor to me (via the internet) for years, and I cannot thank you enough for sharing your wisdom with cocktail enthusiasts like myself.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
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\nMorgenthaler: <\/b>I learned to tend bar in a pretty small town: Eugene, Oregon. We had some great, truly great bartenders there that I would watch from the other side of the bar. But there weren\u2019t a lot of people doing cocktail stuff, not like the sort of stuff we do now. So I had to learn from people who were willing to share their knowledge in books and online. I\u2019ve never forgotten how important that was to me, and I want to do the same for other people who might not have access to formal training or a selection of world class bars they can visit in their own town.<\/b>
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But the greatest feathers in my cap are when people that I\u2019ve gotten to work with over the years go on to run their own programs, and mentor people on their own. <\/b>I can\u2019t take credit for anyone\u2019s success because I always hire people who are going to be great with or without my help. But it\u2019s just so awesome to see people you\u2019ve worked so closely alongside go on to do great things. And most of them have.<\/b>
Justin Pike<\/b> manages the bar at Tasting Kitchen in Venice, California<\/b>. It\u2019s one of the most consistently acclaimed bar programs in Los Angeles. Andrew Volk<\/b> owns the Portland Hunt + Alpine Club in Portland, Maine<\/b>. Food and Wine named him as one of the best bartenders in America, and they\u2019ve been nominated for Outstanding Bar Program by the James Beard Foundation. <\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
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\nGastronomista: <\/b>This series is sponsored by Campari America, would you be willing to share your favorite recipe made with Campari America products?<\/p>\n
Morgenthaler:<\/b>\u00a0 Our Cynar Collins at Pepe Le Moko<\/b> is probably my current favorite. Here\u2019s the recipe!<\/p>\n